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Hi. I'm Barbara Swafford and I'd like to welcome you to Blogging Without A Blog. Grab a seat, share your thoughts and join in the conversation.

P.S. The greatest value of this blog lies in the comment section where bloggers in all phases of the blogging journey open up and share their thoughts. Click on the post title to experience the full effect of each lesson.

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As some of you know, I used my time off from blogging to take the plunge and join Twitter.

It all began in an earlier post when I asked, “Do You Really Care What I’m Doing”? Many of you responded and let me know the Twitter question “What are you doing?” is misleading and Twitter can actually be a great resource for bloggers, business owners, and/or anyone who is looking for valuable information online and/or to increase traffic to their site.

It was Hunter’s guest post (Twitter – Social Media’s Hidden Gem) and the views he shared about Twitter that began to make my hesitations about Twitter vanish. Convinced it would be to my advantage to give Twitter a try, I signed up. The lesson for today is what I’ve learned thus far.

Today’s Lesson

The process I followed to become a Twittering blogger was as such.

1) Signed up for Twitter – a fast, free and easy process.2) Set up my Twitter page, added my avatar, background image and color preferences3) Signed up for TwittterDeck. TwitterDeck is an desktop interface which allows you to organize your tweets into columns (plus much more).4) Added the WordPress Plugin – Twitter Tools5) Began “following” other Twitter members. As the list of those whom I follow increased, so did the list of those who follow me.6) Joined in and began Tweeting messages7) Added a Twitter widget to my blog which shows my latest “tweets”

Below is a list of great articles which helped me as I researched Twitter.

Following = The people you choose to befriend so you can read what they’re twittering about, as well as have the ability to communicate with.

Followers = Those people who have chosen to read your tweets and may want to communicate with you.

RT = Re-tweet. Let’s say I tweet a message and you want your followers to be aware of it. You can “re-tweet” the same message to your followers. Hence, you’ll see “RT” in front of the tweet. A “re-tweet” could be considered the same as using StumbleUpon to let others know about a great post.

DM = direct message. This is a private message between Twitter friends. Direct messages are preceded with a “d” in front of the message.

@ – As seen in blogging comments, the ampersand is used to “point” a message toward a fellow twittering friend.

As many of you know, my greatest fear was Twitter would be another time consuming endeavor. I can see how it could be, but as with any social media platform, it takes discipline. When I’m working on other projects, I can easily turn the TweetDeck notifications off and avoid the distraction.

I also questioned whether my “followers” would “unfollow” me if I wasn’t active enough on Twitter. Based on the size of your Twitter community, it would actually be difficult to track who is active and who is not. Unless you’re hung up on the numbers, this shouldn’t become an obsession.

In recent weeks, I’ve been hearing of major television networks taking advantage of Twitter and the importance of listening to what people are saying (on it). Based on what I’m hearing, it makes me realize Twitter is (probably) here to stay.

I’ve decided I want to be a part of it. How about you?

Today’s Assignment

If you’re on Twitter, what other hints and/or links can you share with those who are not.

If you’re not yet using Twitter, what concerns still plague you?

As a new Twitter user, I’m curious to hear your answers.

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As a footnote, Twitter was recently compromised by a phishing scheme. To read more about it, and what precautions you should take, read this post on Twitter’s blog.

One day, @abc7 started following me, and I follow them back. I am not sure why they started following me, but I guess I wrote something relevant for them to pick up on. ABC 7 is the local ABC affiliate in the Los Angeles area. I actually really like what they were doing, because it’s giving me news that’s of interest (breaking news, interesting events, etc.) And it doesn’t look like a robot delivering headlines to you automatically. It actually feels like there’s someone interacting with a circle of friends and they periodically ask what people think of a certain topic. I like it a lot. Also I noticed that that NPR’s Science Friday is also using twitter to interact with listeners too…

Thanks for all these great resources – I’ll be checking some of them out. My only reservation with some of the (very pretty) badges, and so on, is that visitors who don’t know what they mean might feel daunted by all these strange things. It depends on your audience, I think. Mine is not really just internet junkies such as us bloggers!

I’m enjoying using Twitter – but I think it will only be in moderation.

As you know, your Twitter appearance reminded me about your blog and reminded me I needed to resubscribe. I’m here today because you joined Twitter.

The only tip I have is to ensure you use Twitter to be a part of a community, and not as a place to make you money or help build your blog.

Sure, Twitter may make you money and/or build your blog, but don’t start up your Twitter application each day with those goals in mind.

I like to treat it like I’m at an informal networking event where throwing your business card in front of everybody you see is not encouraged. Just spend time with the community, make friends, learn, teach and get to know them. By doing that, your blog will benefit without you even thinking about it.

Oh, one more tip. Un-follow anybody who sends a Magpie Tweet. A Magpie Tweet usually includes the “#magpie” hashtag and is a paid Tweet. The person who sends it gets paid by a company to do so, and so goes completely against everything I’ve spoke about above. Of course, it’s up to you whether you want to see advertising, but I don’t so I’ve un-followed everybody who I’ve seen sending them.

I have it and tweetdeck and I have 2 people I am following. I still dont get it completely and I seriously feel like a total twit for real for many reasons but I will follow on your twitter and maybe by osmosis I will “get it” lol
Dont let it get out that I am utterly blank with this, I have told my kids I know everything OK and I dont want them finding out otherwise:)
Oh , and why am I even bothering if I seem to be having such a hard time grasping it? NO idea. Just because.

Love your realization about no one knowing how often you are there. It’s spot on. I love a tool like this when we can pop in and share as inspired, without any notions of how frequent is “right.”

It’s also a great way to build community with others you want to connect with. For example, I’m following many coaches who do not blog but they do use Twitter; so for professional associations it’s very effective.

I also follow some avocational pursuits like poker and football communities. Life isn’t all business and Twitter doesn’t discriminate.

I had a few false starts with Twitter. It definitely takes some time to find your momentum, and it is a good idea to spend a while in observation, but if you can get it to click for you then it can be an invaluable tool. Chase is right though. It isn’t for everyone.

Hi Barbara,
I too have started to use Twitter over Christmas. I was certain I’d hate it and that it would be a terrible time waster.

If I’d found Twitter before I started blogging I may never have started blogging. Twitter is ideal as a release for my silly one liners and as I’m limited to 140 characters, I can’t write loads in reply as I often tend to do. Hehe.

I’m a Twitter convert, too!
Like you, I didn’t get it before and my account stayed pretty much inactive for months — until I read Hunter’s guest post and Twitip. Today, I’m starting my own Daily Tweet Service — follow me and get daily inspiration by Twitter! It’s like newsletter but shorter and sweeter

My first advice is exactly the same than Jamie, go get a community, build friends. That will also help your business in the long run.

My second is Bird Feeder a wordpress plugin that “tweets” every time I update my blog. I don’t know about other blogging platforms, sorry, but look for something like that.

My third advice is that instead of searching on google you can ask questions to real people, hopefully friends of yours. They usually beat automatized results.

My fourth is to answer those call of helps.

My fifth and last is to make sure your replies make sense. Twitter is not email, so if I tweet “Thanks” the other person/s may not know what I’m speaking about. Instead use something like “My computer is fixed now, thanks for help”.

I’ve been on Twitter for a few months now and am really enjoying it. It’s the only social media that I’ve really gotten into.

Here’s some of the things I’ve learned about Twitter:

1) Don’t use an auto-DM for everyone who follows you. Especially don’t send a link to your site to everyone who follows you. It’s spammy and many will unfollow if you do so.
2) Don’t follow people just to get them to follow you and then unfollow them immediately. It’s rude and, again, spammy.
3) Don’t just use twitter as a broadcast medium. Read what other people are saying and interact. The more you interact, the more people will want to follow your tweets.
4) It’s ok to broadcast your latest blog post or other self-promotional message, but if you keep repeating it, you’ll annoy people.
5) twellow.com is your friend. Twitter’s search feature is broken half the time and when it does work it’s still awkward. Twellow.com is a great place to search people’s profiles and find people you want to follow.
6) As someone said previously, answer questions and offer help when people need it. You’ll build a reputation as someone who is knowledgeable and friendly, which goes a long way on Twitter.

Twitter is like anything else, you’ll get back out of it what you put into it.

Hi Barbara, I enjoy twitter now and again. It’s been especially nice lately when I’ve fallen off from posting but feel I can still “keep in touch”. One thing I don’t like: many of the people following me are selling stuff (or hoping to anyway) so I can end up with a lot of unwanted info about products, etc.

I do like seeing tweets from my blogging friends, who use twitter to post about posts and their lives – more enjoyable to me.

i’m enjoying twitter, actually, i have it open now. i like the noise. i also like some of the links that are tweeted as well. it’s helpful too for when i haven’t logged into my reader and people tweet their posts. like you said, you don’t have to login. it’s just there when you want it. don’t want to be bothered, don’t login. it can be addicting though, but i’m not at that point.

I’m with Jamie and Miguel. I just pop into twitter for a couple of minutes, once or twice a day. I treat it like the water cooler at work. “Hey, how are ya? What’s new?” I have no expectations of increasing traffic. I have noticed that twitter is an entry page to my blog every once in awhile, but it’s generally someone who already reads my blog anyway.

Like Facebook statuses, I honestly don’t need to know everytime someone goes to the bathroom. I generally tweet back to a statement that was funny or unusual.

Hi Barbara. This is an excellent post. I knew you’d eventually not be able to resist signing up for Twitter. I admire how you jumped in, got set up and have become so active in such a short time. And you haven’t wasted any time sharing the information.

I haven’t found the rhythm yet. I hesitate sending a direct message to any of my followers because how do I know they’re even there? Kind of like sending an email and waiting for the response. I’m assuming that if I download a plugin or Twitter tool this might be cleared up.

Barbara, so you are into twitter as well I have seen a few people really getting addicted to twitter but I am yet to find the winning formular with twitter. I do get a few click backs from twitter but not too much yet.

The real concern I have with twitter is the way they are trying to monetize it via twitads and magpie. I hate if ads become a day-to-day affair with twitter

I signed up for Twitter awhile back to put a placeholder on my blog name, but only recently started enjoying it. Its power seems to be in its deceptive simplicity. A LOT more happens in a 140 character communication that meets the eye! I see Twitter as having a multidimensional effect that has yet to be tapped.

Hi Barbara – I’m liking Tweetdeck a lot based upon your, Scott’s and others’ help. I probably wouldn’t use Twitter as much if I didn’t have it. I agree with all the favorable comments here. While it won’t replace blogging, it’s a viable communication entity with immediacy as the main advantage.

I joined Twitter and then I didn’t tweet much. I am finding that if I keep my “following” base at a low I enjoy it much better. Twitter has been a great source of getting to know the other side of who is actually behind the blog.

I enjoy getting on in the middle of the night when I cannot sleep. It is amazing the chatter that takes place in the dark!

This is a great post. Since I am so new with Twitter I can’t wait to dive in and learn more about it.

Hi Matthew – That’s a good point about saying something in 140 characters. We learn to choose our words wisely, don’t we?

Hi Kelvin – That’s cool that your ABC affiliate is following you and others and caring what you have to say.

Hi Robin – You’re right. Some of our readers may not understand the badges. It does depend on our audience, however, if we don’t display them, those on Twitter may not know how to find us.

Hi Jamie – Yes, that worked out great – I joined Twitter and you resubscribed to my blog. Sweet!

I agree, just like other social networking sites, blog growth may be an end result, however, it comes down to community and helping others.

Thank you for the tip on who to unfollow. I was unaware of that.

Hi John – You’re most welcome. It was a very helpful video and taught me how to get started with TweetDeck.

Hi Chase – Happy New Year to you, too. Good point – Twitter may not be for everyone.

Hi Melanie – Don’t feel bad. For months I kept hearing about Twitter, looked at some of the tweets people sent, and like you, said “I don’t get it”. However, the more I researched, the more I realized Twitter is a great resource. Just the short period of time I’ve been on it has proven advantageous as I found links to fabulous articles I would have never known existed. Hang in there. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Hi Mike – I don’t see Twitter as text messaging, or maybe I’m not following anyone who uses the “texting” language, however it does make you think how to say something of importance in 140 characters.

I thought it might be addictive for me, but so far, I’m able to concentrate on work or blogging and only check Twitter a few times a day.

It sounds like you’re using Twitter to your advantage, business wise. With the advance search function, we can easily find others who have the same interests as us.

Hi Writer Dad – You’re right. Observing how it works and how others use it is very beneficial.

Hi Joanna – Ah, a Twitter addict. **smile**. Good point! A person could very easily be unfollowed for Twittering too much.

Hi Dave – With Twitter being classified as micro blogging, I know what you’re saying. Once you get into it, it would be easy to travel around Twitterville and have your say. The first day I spent on Twitter, I was having a blast speaking in short sentences and meeting others.

Hi Akemi – What a good idea – a daily Tweet service. I’ll check it out.

Hi Miguel – Thank you for the great ideas. I agree, asking questions on Twitter can often result in fast answers from experts. So far I’ve found everyone is very helpful.

Hi Linda – You’re welcome. Like you, my experience has been very positive.

Hi J.D. – Happy New Year to you, too. I hear you. Having time to study it helped me to decide if I wanted to give it a try.

Hi Jodith – Thanks for the list of great tips. I agree, some of the direct messages (DM) do look spammy. I avoid clicking on those links, plus I believe that’s what caused the phishing problem Twitter experienced.

I’m going to check out twellow.com. It sounds like a great resource.

Hi Ann – Twitter does keep us in the loop, doesn’t it?

With regard to those who follow me, I first click on their profile and see what they’re Twittering. If it looks spammy, I don’t follow them back.

Hi George – It is great seeing our blogging buddies on Twitter, isn’t it?

Hi NaTuRal – I know what you’re saying about links being tweeted when we don’t have time to check out reader. It gets that information “out there”.

Hi Panther – The “water cooler” is a great analogy. If we’re busy with other responsibilities, we’re not obligated to participate.

Hi Davina – Thank you. With the information being so fresh on my brain, I wanted to share it with others. For me it was a decision that took some time, but I’m glad I signed up.

Hi Ajith – All we can do is cross our fingers and hope Twitter doesn’t become commercialized. Whom we follow can make a big difference, too (I think).

Hi Patricia – You’re welcome. I see you on Twitter and it appears you’re getting the hang of it.

Hi Vered – That’s the great thing about Twitter. We can use it often or not. It’s definitely a personal choice.

Hi John – Haha! I was thinking of you when I joined.

For me, I wanted to increase my online presence. As I think of where I want my blogging to take me (which is still undetermined), I believe having the exposure Twitter can give a blogger will be a benefit. And like I mentioned in the post, with major networks speaking about Twitter and the messages they get, it made me realize Twitter is here to stay. I don’t want to look back a year or two from now and say, “I should of joined”.

Trust me John, you’re not an outcast here. We’re all entitled to our opinions and just as you respect mine, I respect yours.

Hi Neil – I’m following you now. Let me know if you have any questions. Or, you can ask on Twitter, too. Others are more than willing to help.

Hi Lori – You’ve nailed it with that statement: “Its power seems to be in its deceptive simplicity.” It is actually very simple to use, isn’t it?

Hi Betsy – TweetDeck has made it super simple for me, too. I set up one group where I follow all of the bloggers I follow in my RSS feed. It makes it more manageable.

And yes, the immediacy of Twitter is a huge advantage.

Hi Tammy – Thank you. You’re right, if we follow too many, the “noise” can be deafening. Like I told Betsy, that’s what I like about TweetDeck; it’s ability to put people into groups.

I love being on Twitter! I recently got a 2nd account since I’m managing 2 web identities. Right now I’m using twhirl, which is a little less complicated than Tweet Deck, but I’m thinking about switching at some point in the future.

I follow you in both identities, btw, and you’re a good tweeter.

I think the critical thing is not to get caught up in what happened when you were away from the computer. That doesn’t matter, unless perhaps it was an @ or dm, the only thing that matters is what’s happening now…otherwise it’s overwhelming. But I learned that quickly and haven’t had that problem since.

Hi Barbara,
I HAVE seen you around in Twitter-land! I get there only occasionally – seems to go in spurts. And that all seems fine. When I’m there, I catch up with whatever is current. And when I’m not there, life goes on. I am finding it’s one more way to connect with other people, and people I may not have otherwise have come in contact with – and that’s a very good thing!

Hi Ruth – What great advice. I wondered how far back we should go on tweets. Your idea of dealing with what’s happening NOW is spot on. That’s what I’m going to do, too.

Hi Carla – That’s one good thing about Twitter. We can join but don’t have to be active.

Hi Lance – Yes, you’ll see my smiling face on Twitter, too. I agree, its another great place to connect with others. Often we tweet about stuff we normally wouldn’t blog about so it’s gives us more insight into our fellow blog authors.

Hi Sterling – Another vote for TweetDeck. Yay! I know it’s made twittering much easier for me.

I became interested in Twitter when I saw how the American election campaigns were making active use of it, and when I saw how it was being used to monitor the election. I like it. Nice and simple, and yet quite a lot more to it than merely rolling status messages. Now I just need to take a look at that TweetDeck service you mentioned…

I’m glad to see you’ve joined Twitter! I’ve been considering writing a post on the effects of Twitter on my blog – simply because of it’s awesomeness. I’d be interested in hearing how Twitter has helped you, in the coming months. I’ll stay tuned! Have a great day!

@Dave it really can be loads of fun, can’t it? I don’t know that it would be for everyone, but I enjoy hoping on a few minutes here and there to have a break. Kind of like when I was working in an office every hour or so I’d take a break and go into the kitchen to see if there was anyone to talk to.

@Tracy, you’re absolutely right. It’s huge fun. Dropping people the odd few words now and again is much more powerful than I ever believed. I’m quite strict with the time I spend on there otherwise I could waste an entire day.

Hi Sara – You’re welcome. I used to think the same way, but when I realized Twitter is a great marketing tool, as well as a great way to improve our online presence, I dove in. I’m now finding interesting articles (via other people’s tweets) and can also connect with others in my community in just a few words even if it’s just to say “hi”.

I’ve been on Twitter for a few months, but have yet to see it’s great value. I think it’s because I just don’t have time to spend on tweeting or reading other tweets. I’m hoping to carve out some time and really do it justice. Thanks for the post!

Hi Internet Marketing Maven – You’re welcome. Finding the value in Twitter can take time, but I have also found it depends who we follow. Some who are on Twitter share links to superb articles. It does take time, though.

So much information! No wonder I flagged this for reading later. I only got part way through. I can’t take it all at one time, but I’ll be back as I master certain areas. TweetDeck is first. I do have a question, though, do you really think putting the widget on your blog helps? I guess I’m not really seeing the benefit. I want to get people TO my blog. Does that make sense?

Hi Debbie – You’re welcome. With regard to the widget, I think it helps for people to find, and follow you (on Twitter). If they like your tweets, they may end up following your blog, as well – in case they’re not. I see it as having your “face” out there in as many places as possible. The competition in blogosphere is high – for getting noticed, so each tool we use helps.

Keep in mind, you can also search for other mommy bloggers and/or sites that support Down syndrome (on Twitter). By following them you’ll undoubtedly gain more exposure for your cause, as they will most likely follow you, too.